American world number three Coco Gauff dominated Italian Elisabetta Cocciaretto at the French Open on Sunday, securing a 6-1, 6-2 victory to advance to the quarter-finals. The 20-year-old U.S. Open champion, who lost the 2022 French Open final, showed her class and composure throughout the match.
Gauff started strongly, with Cocciaretto, ranked 45th, managing to win only two points in the first four games due to Gauff’s unforced errors. The Italian gained some confidence towards the end of the first set, engaging in longer rallies and hitting a few winners, but Gauff maintained control, dropping only one game.
In the second set, Gauff experienced a minor slump, losing her first service game and allowing Cocciaretto to hold one of her service games. However, this was not enough to halt Gauff’s momentum, and she sealed the match in exactly one hour.
“I’m really happy with how I played today,” Gauff said. “I played her in Dubai, and it was a little bit tougher. So happy that I took what I learned from that match into today.”
Reflecting on her strong start at Roland Garros, Gauff said, “Sometimes how you start is not necessarily how you finish a tournament. For me last week Rome was one of those where I went in not feeling great at all, and then I left feeling good about my game.”
Gauff acknowledged the challenging wet and humid conditions in Paris, saying, “It’s just really slow and muggy. The weather makes you maybe not as hyped up for your match just naturally.”
In the quarter-finals, Gauff aims to become the first American to win Roland Garros since Serena Williams in 2015. She will face the winner of the match between Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur and Denmark’s Clara Tauson.
